The Real Dirt

Two quotes from the leaders of the May 25 Wildtending Walk at Verbena Fields in Chico are pertinent here. Toward the end of the walk Ali Meders-Knight, Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) Specialist for the Mechoopda Tribe, said The more we understand this place together, the better off we'll be.

What do those numbers on bags and boxes of fertilizer and soil amendments really mean? And what is the difference between a fertilizer and an amendment? Whether a material is considered an amendment or a fertilizer depends on its effect on plant growth.

While you might not be able to save them all, you can take precautions in your garden that will save the plants it makes sense to save, define your gardening priorities, and plan for continuing drought conditions in our Northern California Mediterranean climate.

It may not seem like it to those just traveling though, but Paradise is not only rebuilding, it's replanting. Homeowners, as well as people who have not yet broken ground, are tending their properties and making beautiful what was destroyed by the Camp Fire. Landscaping and gardens are taking over.

April's Wildtending Walk at Verbena Fields marked the third of this year-long monthly series. Each month, we discover changes that have taken place and learn the stages of a plant's growth (e.g. leaf, bloom, seed).